Stranded on an Island!

By: Julianne, Jett, & Jaycie 6/26/22 – 6/27/22

Julianne’s Journal: Even though we had to wake up at 5:30am EST (4:30am in our bodies), excitement filled the RV as this was our first time to fly in a sea plane! We left our RV dressed in warm layers with good hiking shoes and each with 1 backpack filled with plenty of snacks for the day, 1 water bottle, rain gear, bug spray, sunscreen, & a first aid kit. We were ready to explore Isle Royale!

Many of you may not be familiar with Isle Royale National Park, but it is the most remote National park in the lower 48 and is only accessible via Ferry boat or sea plane from either Michigan or Minnesota. Isle Royale consists of one main Island within Lake Superior and has over 450 islets.

After a 30-minute drive to Houghton, MI we checked in at Isle Royale Sea Planes at 7:15am and departed promptly at 8am. The flight itself was exhilarating and consisted of just us 4 Js and the pilot! Jason rode co-captain, of course. Jett and I were in the middle, with Jaycie in the back seat. Although it was extremely windy and at times we felt like we were riding a roller coaster, the views were magnificent and we quickly realized just how expansive Lake Superior is! It was more like flying over a sea or the ocean!

We had a pretty rocky landing and made it to the island by 8:45am. First, we hit up the visitors center and the kids eagerly accepted all 3 types of Junior Ranger booklets as this has grown to be their favorite part of exploring the National Parks! We started the booklets together at a picnic table overlooking boats in Rock Harbour until one of the activities called for a hike. So we checked the map and decided to hike to Suzy’s cave, a 4 mile round trip hike. Our heads were on a swivel for wildlife and everywhere we seemed to turn was picturesque views.

We saw a loon, Horseshoe Hare (rare find!), ground squirrels, a baby bird, and a bunch of moose droppings! As the sun began to peak out and warm the air, the mosquitos also came out. We did get attached a few times before we doused ourselves in bug spray. They seemed to leave us alone for the most part after that. We made it to the cave which was pretty neat and then hiked back up the opposite side of the island for different breath-taking views.

Once we finished the hike, the kiddos completed their Jr. Ranger booklets (Jett scored a homemade pancake from local boaters) and the kids took the oathe and received their Jr Ranger badges. After that, we headed to the Lodge’s grill for lunch. After lunch, we decided to check in on our flight info at the visitor’s center and the park ranger updated that everything was on time for a 3pm departure. So we did a bit more hiking around and reported to the sea plane dock by 2pm to be safe. Even though the wind was picking up, we laid out in the warm sun on the boat docks and began to make pictures out of the clouds that were blowing by. At this time we spotted a majestic bald eagle soaring and riding the wind currents. About that time we were notified that all flights were grounded due to heavy winds. The instructions were for us to check back at the visitor’s center at 4:30pm for an update. The winds grew stronger and colder and the clouds rolled in. We headed back to the grill for a “warm up”: Hot tea for me, Coffee for Ja, and hot chocolate for the kiddos. Kids passed some time by starting their other 2 Jr Ranger booklets (Wildlife Refuge & Anglers) while Jason check with the lodge office to put our names down just in case we get stranded. The 4:30pm update proved no change as all planes were still grounded. They told us to check back in at 5pm as they would make the call then if flights were cancelled.

In the meantime we met and chatted with a nice family from North Carolina who were quite literally in the “same boat as us.” They were suppose to be on our same 3pm seaplane back flight back to Houghton. This family of 3 + their dog are doing a 50 day trip in their motorhome visiting many of the national parks (opposite direction/itinerary as us) and, like us, only brought 1 backpack each with no provisions for an overnight stay. There were 2 other parties that were also hoping to get off the island: 1 couple that had stayed for a few days previously, and 1 group of 4 guys that were backpacking/tent camping and actually were suppose to fly out the previous day. They were of course top priority since they had already increased their stay by an extra night.

As Jason started fervently praying over the safety of our Ford Truck that was going to stay overnight in the public parking lot, I quickly started doing a mental checklist of essentials that we did NOT have on us: No change in underwear or socks, no deodorant, no toothbrushes, no toothpaste, no soap, no cell service or wi-fi, etc. Those 30 minutes of waiting were both the shortest and longest. Once 5pm hit, the park ranger informed us that all flights were cancelled and we had to find overnight arrangements. However, there was one pilot on the island that was going to head home should the group of 4 guys be brave enough to go with him. They eagerly did as they were ready to get off!

Meanwhile, all the other parties headed to the lodge to seek shelter for the night. We actually ended up getting the last available room at the lodge which consisted of 2 double beds, a bathroom, a wi-fi password (only accessible from the wi-fi cabin behind the office) no AC, and a gorgeous view. We dropped our backpacks, unloaded everything we had to take inventory, and made a list of essentials. Luckily, there was 1 general store (very small – smaller than the smallest gas station store) on the island that was open until 8pm. We were able to purchase 1 stick of male & female deodorant, 1 travel sized tube of toothpaste, 1 toothbrush (only 1 on the island – and YES, we all 4 had to share it!), new pair of socks for each, 1 bar of soap, and 1 game.

At this point, we had come to grips with the fact that we were stranded on Isle Royale for an unplanned overnight stay. And we were just praying over the safety of our truck & RV that were not with us. We were also praying hard that the weather would be favorable enough that our overnight stay wouldn’t turn into 2 nights! Jaycie was encouraging to us all as she was reciting Mark 11:24, “So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe you have already received it and it will be given to you.”

We ate the rest of our snacks for dinner and then headed to the 7pm Ranger program to learn about the Horne Wildfire that happened on this island last summer due to a lightening strike. It was very informative and interesting! We then headed back to the room to start the “shower line” and passed the time by looking out the window and playing our new game. It was very weird (& gross) putting on dirty clothes after the shower… but it is what it is! Most of us pulled a “Big Hero 6” and went inside out on the underwear after the shower. The new/clean socks felt good.

We all watched some “late night window” together and saw a seagull swoop down to catch a fish and to our surprise, he swallowed it WHOLE! Of course none of us had our cameras available to capture it, but it was a spectacular thing to watch. Up here, the sun doesn’t set until around 10pm. So “late night window” ended around that time and we all attempted to sleep.

It was apparent about 10 minutes in that none of us were going to get any sleep at all, except Jett. Jett was loudly snoring which continued all night despite his sister’s nudges, rolling, and kicking. The morning couldn’t come early enough! Jason reported for duty at 8am sharp at the visitor’s center to get the manifest read out and learned we were on the early 9am flight out! He was sooo excited to report the news and the rest of us gathered up our things, shared the toothbrush one last time, and eagerly rushed out of the room to head to the seaplane dock. Our 7 passenger plane was right on time which we shared with our new friends and all made it safely back to the Mainland! The most relieving sight was to see our truck in the parking lot unscathed! (Thank you, Lord!) We hopped in our truck and drove 30 minutes to also find our RV nestled quietly where we left her. We all let out a sigh of relief when we sat down inside… it felt GOOD to be HOME! We all freshened up with showers and additional teeth brushing before we went on to more sightseeing in the Keweenaw area. And Jett asked to keep the purple toothbrush, not as a souvenir like you might think, but rather to use! He said, “What? It’s a good toothbrush!”

Jett’s Wild Flight: Today I’m going to tell you when we went backpacking. We loaded up on a seaplane and flew over Lake Superior to Isle Royale. We first went to the visitor’s center, then went on a hike. On the hike we saw a Snowshoe Hare, squirrels, and what comes out of a moose. We didn’t see a moose, though. Next we went to eat lunch in the lodge. Then we went to the seaplane “doctor” (get it? Dock, like Doc!) But, the seaplane didn’t come, it got delayed and kept getting delayed even more. Then we found out our day trip became an overnight trip. We got a cabin, met new friends, went to the wildfire program (which was pretty cool), took showers, and played a game. Then finally, the next day they came. I looked out the window of the sea plan and our truck was still there! Whew!

Jaycie’s Bunny Hoppin’ News: We rode in a cool sea plane to Isle Royale. It was cold when we arrived. Sadly, there were still mosquitos. We had to spray bug spray [a lot]. The lake is hard to believe it is a lake and not an ocean. We hiked to “Suzy’s Cave.” On that hike we saw a little bird, a Snowshoe Hare, a lot of poop, and a squirrel.

We ate lunch and did Junior Ranger booklets [3 each]. Then we went to wait for our plane but it never came. We waited the rest of the day. [nothing!] Finally Mike came, who was the pilot that flew us to the Island. He brought some other people back that had been there for 3 days! They were done with this place. We got a room and one toothbrush. I didn’t sleep. The next day we got on the first flight out. We are now back!